


And I'll be holding on to you

by Engagetheborg



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:42:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9355598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engagetheborg/pseuds/Engagetheborg
Summary: From being a slave to being free, from hating one brother to loving the other.





	1. I

Chapter 1  
The captain of the USS Enterprise was bored. Bored out of his mind. He let his eyes wander across the PADDs that lay scattered on the desk in his ready room. So many waiting reports, and one more boring than the next. Checking the time on one of his PADDs he wondered if he should start his shift early. But even if he did, it only mend that he had to go through his reports later that day, and it really would only make him feel uneasy to have put off all this work to do in the evening, in the little spare time he had. Sighing, he began reading through the pile, and after two hours of work, he found his mind wandering away from the composition of the carbonite-formation on a rouge planet near Star Base 260. Picard found himself thinking about the new star system they had just discovered a few days ago. They had been ordered to survey its planets and to scan for habitable environments and possible lifeforms. So far, they had survey ten of the systems 15 planets, and where due to be finished within the next week. Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher, the son of the ships Doctor Beverly Crusher, was in charge of the planets tectonic analyses. This being his second command, Picard was certain that he would be successful.  
“Captain Picard, report to bridge.” The voice of his First Officer filled the ready room, and Picard gladly lay down his reports and headed for the bridge.  
“What’s the situation Number One?”  
“A few hours ago we began studying this class M planet. Even though it has a habitable atmosphere, there had be no indications of life on this planet, except for a few plants. But just now, we have detected a life form, apparently humanoid, with very weak life signs. I’d like to send down an away team to evaluate the situation.”  
“Make it so Number One. Take Doctor Crusher, Commander Data and Lieutenant Worf with you.”  
“Aye Sir.”

Ten minutes later, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Data and Worf materialized on the planet’s surface.  
“The life signs are coming out of that cave, Doctor,” Data stated and let the way into the cave.  
Walking a few meters into the cave, Riker, Worf and Dr. Crusher were stopping to let their eyes accustom to the darkness, but Data kept on walking.  
“Over here, Doctor. It is a female human, unconscious, between the ages of 18 and 20. She seemed to have been held here by force, she is restrained against a wall. Her life signs are very weak.”  
Beverly hurried over to the girl. “Two to beam up directly to sickbay!” she ordered, tapping her badge.  
As both women dematerialized, the rest of the away team took a look around. Commander Riker picked up the bottle of water.  
“Now that’s just plain cruelty. Leaving a bottle of water for the girl to see, but not reach. Someone wanted to torture her.”  
“The women must have been here for at least one and a half weeks, Sir. The state of both the ground and the disruption around her restraints indicate that has been chained in this position around that time.”  
“How did she not die of thirst?” the Commander asked, stroking his beard with a worried expression on his face.  
“Sir, I detect a high amount of radiation coming from within this cave. It is not save to remain here any longer.” Worf said.  
“Understood. Three to beam up.”

“How is her condition, Doctor?” Captain Picard asked as he entered sickbay followed by Commander Riker.  
“Her condition is stable, she has suffered from extreme dehydration and malnutrition as well as exposure to both alpha and gamma radiation. She is in a way better state than I expected her to be, it’s almost like she is used to withstand extreme situation like this one. Furthermore she has several concussions and open wounds all over her torso and extremities, and it is very possible that she has been the victim of assault and abuse continuously, for at least a year.”  
“When will you be able to wake her up?”  
“Possibly in one or two hours, I’ll call upon you should I decide to wake her.”  
“Make it so Doctor,” the captain said, and with a last puzzled and concerned look at the women, he turned to leave.  
Commander Riker stood and stared at the young women for a few minutes. Her dark skin seemed ashen with all the color drained from her face, her dark hair dull.  
“What happened to you?” he said more to himself than to her. Another few minutes passed before he acknowledged the Doctor and left sick bay.

“Maybe I’ll even be back for you. You can make it that long, can you June? You did it before.” he said while fastening her shackles.  
“Please.” she said. “Please. Master, I beg of you, please don’t leave me here to die.”  
Smiling, and pulled her chin up to meet his eyes. There was no mercy in them.  
There was darkness and silence all around her. I surely must be dead, she thought. That’s it. I finally died. Maybe it’s better this way. She could still hear his voice ringing in her ear.  
“We’ll see. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll be back in a week or two.”  
“No please, please…”  
He laughed cruelly. “See, I’m even leaving you water. If you can reach the bottle, that is.”  
June watched as he placed the bottle with the liquid on the ground, a few meters in front of where she was restrained.  
“Goodbye June. Have a lovely stay.” Without another word, he left her alone in the big cave he brought her to.  
Slowly, the sounds seemed to return to her again. This was how the afterlife must sound like, she mused. A women spoke softly, a man answered just as quietly. It was as though as they talking through a thick layer of cotton. She tried to open her eyes, and was greeted by the bright shine of a medical examination lamp. Quickly she closed her eyes again. This is a trick, she thought. This is one of his tricks, and when I move, he will know I’m conscious, no, he must not know I’m conscious.  
The sound came through more clearly now. A women was having a, what seemed to be medical related conversation with a man, and both of them seemed to be standing right next to where she lay.  
“She should regain consciousness any second now, I’ve given her a pretty potent stimulant,” the women said. “Can you hear me? It’s ok, you are save now, we mean you no harm. You can open your eyes now.”  
Reluctantly, June opened her eyes to find herself staring into the blue eyes of a very beautiful women holding a medical scanner over her head.  
“How are you feeling?” the women asked her. June just stared up at her.  
“My name is Beverly Crusher, and I’m your doctor. You are currently on the Federation Starship USS Enterprise, and this it’s Captain Picard. We found you chained to a wall down on Beta-3215.”  
“Are you…really here? Or am I… dead?”  
The Doctor and the Captain changed a meaningful glance.  
“No, we can assure you that we really are here, on this ship, and that you really are not dead, or hallucinating us,” said the man to her left, who had been identified as Captain Picard.  
June nodded slowly. “Then…thank you for saving my life Doctor. And Captain.”  
“You are most welcome. May I ask who you are?” the Captain asked.  
“I am June. And I am a slave, sir.”  
The Captain looked at her with a pained expression. “Welcome aboard, June. From now on, you are not a slave anymore. There is no slavery within the United Federation of Planets, and, by extension, within the walls of this ship.”  
A hopeful glance came to her eyes. “Does that mean I will be able to see my family again?”  
“That depends, June. Do you know where your family is?” the Captain inquired.  
The glance vanished. “No sir,” she said quietly. “I haven’t seen them in eight years. I don’t even know if they are still alive.”  
“Where do you and your family come from?” the Doctor asked.  
“From a colony on Omega-778, but the colony got attacked, and many were killed or abducted. That day was the last time I’ve seen any of my family members. I don’t know if they were abducted or killed, or if they managed to hide. All the people who were held captive on the same ship as me and I were all sold to the Ferengi Empire.”  
“The Ferengis buying and using human slaves…this will have dire consequences for the Starfleet’s relations with the Ferengis. Put me through to the Starfleet Command, I have to speak to Admiral Livingston immediately.” He turned to June.

“It would be best if you rest for now. We will discuss this later, don’t give up hope just yet.”  
With those words, the Captain turned and left sickbay.  
“The Captain is right, it would be best if you rested now, and we discuss everything else tomorrow. I will give you a light sedative to help you sleep, if you wish.”  
“I’d like that, yes.”  
The Doctor nodded and gave June the sedative, and June slipped back into sleep.


	2. II

Chapter 2

Beverly was about to get up from her desk in the sickbay office when she heard her door chime.  
“Come,” she said absentmindedly.  
Lt. Commander Data entered. “Doctor. The Captain told me that you requested my report on the cave your patient was held in?”  
“Oh yes, thank you Data. I’ll speak to you right away, but first I have to quickly check on said patient.”  
Data and the Doctor left the office and entered the treatment lounge.  
June was almost awake, she was just fighting her way up through a thick layer of half-real nightmarish images as the two of them entered.  
“June, how are you feeling today?” the Doctor asked as she sat down on a chair next to her bed.  
“Doctor, maybe it would be best if I came back later,” Data said.  
June’s eyes snapped open. “No…no…I knew it…it was too good to be true…,” she whispered.  
She sat up and scrambled her way to the far edge of her bed, her eyes fixed on Data. “I am sorry, please forgive me, please, I will do everything, please, don’t punish me, please please…” she begged, her voice shaking with fear,  
“I didn’t know, I had no way of knowing…please, I promise I will do better please…”  
“It’s ok, June, no one will hurt you here, it’s all fine.” Beverly tried to calm her down, but now she was crying and shaking so hard that the Doctor barley got a hold of her.  
“Please Lore, please…” June begged, barely audible.  
“You know my brother?” Data asked, seemingly perplexed.  
“I am not Lore. My name is Data. I am Second Officer of this vessel. I am truly sorry that my presence has caused you such disstress. I mean you no harm,” he said in a soft tone.  
June didn’t seem to have heard him. “Please, I am sorry, please, don’t hurt me, please, I won’t do it again please…”  
She raised her hands as if to protect herself from Data, her watery eyes still fixed on the android.  
Data raised him arms and took a step back. “June… That is your name, correct? I can promise you that I am not Lore. Lore and I are both androids build by the cybernetic expert Dr. Noonian Soong. While we both may be identical in appearance and structure, my brother is equipped with emotions, and the capability of cruelty, which are a result of the failure in his ethical subroutines, and both of which are foreign to me. I promise you that I have neither the intention nor the ethical ability of harming you in any way,” Data said with as much of a soothing tone that he could muster.  
June stared at him. “You are not Lore…” she said to herself. “Not… Lore…”  
“That is correct.”  
June slowly nodded. Beverly slowly helped June to lay back down.  
“Doctor Crusher to Captain Picard. Please report to sickbay immediately.”

When the captain arrived, Data was still standing at the other end of the room, with his hands raised, trying not to alarm June any further. Meanwhile June and Doctor Crusher both sat on the edge of June’s bed, Beverly’s arm wrapped protectively around the girls shoulders.  
“What is going on here?” Picard asked Commander Data.  
“June woke up, saw Data and panicked, apparently mistaking him for Lore,” Beverly said.  
“You are acquainted with Lore?” the captain asked, turning to June.  
Finally, Data slowly lowered his hands. “May I ask…how you know my brother? Has he inflicted any harm on you?”  
June looked at him for a few seconds before replying. “I am his property." She held up her hair to reveal a tattoo at the nape of her neck. It was a serial number and a single letter. “L”.


	3. III

Chapter 3

There was a long pause. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the captain spoke.  
“How long…How long have you been his…his…property?” He grimaces as the word left his lips.  
“For about a year now, sir.”  
“And how..?”  
“He bought me when he was visiting the Star Base I was working on. He said he felt “lonely” and needed companionship, and he had a lot of gold, so they sold me to him.”  
There was another long pause.   
“Counselor Troi, report to sickbay,” he looked her directly in the eyes. “I think it would be best if you talked to our ship’s counselor, Deanna Troi. She might be able to help you. I understand that you are confused and scared by Mr. Data appearance, but I can give you my word as the captain of this ship, that there are no two brothers who are less alike as it is with Commander Data and Lore. Data has my fullest trust, he is a valued crewmember and friend, and has saved this ship and crew more times than I can count. I trust him with my life, and so can you, June.”  
June nodded numbly, not looking convinced.  
“Data, please come with me to my ready room.” With another glance at the Doctor he and Data left sickbay.

 

Neither the captain nor Data spoke on their way up to the bridge. Only after the doors of the ready room closed behind them, Picard started to speak.  
“Mr. Data, please sit down.”  
Data did as he was told. “Sir...,” he began, but Picard interrupted him.  
“Data, what happened to June is in no way your responsibility. No one could have anticipated what he did, and none of his actions are in any way your fault.”  
“I have to disagree, sir. I have failed to deactivate Lore on two separate occasions, even though I was given the change to do so at both times. It is not through my actions, but through my inaction that June has suffered the way she did. What has happened to her is, by extension, just as much my fault as it is Lores.”  
Picard sighed. “Data, you are not responsible of the independent decisions and actions of another individual that is not under your command. Lore has done terrible things. Should you have deactivated him? Maybe. But you didn’t. But Lore is a sentient being with the ability to decide what right and wrong is. His actions are just that-his actions. And the moment he left your grasp, he left the room of your responsibility.”  
“I appreciate your attempt to convince me of my innocence in this situation, but I have to assume full responsibility for what happened to Miss June.”  
“Data, please talk to Troi about this. Maye she will be able to talk some sense into you.”  
“I doubt that, sir. But I will consider talking to her.”  
Picard looked at his android officer and sighed again. “Mr. Data, you may go now.”

“June, I am Deanna Troi, the ships counselor. If you’d like, I’m going to escort you to your quarters. And when you’re ready for it, I’d also like to talk to you… about whatever is on your mind and you feel comfortable telling me. I’m here to listen.”  
June nodded in acknowledgment and stood up from her bed. “It’s nice to meet you, Counselor.”  
Troi and June walked through the corridors of Deck 12 to the turbo lift. June’s eyes were wide with wonder. “How big is this ship?”  
“This is a Galaxy-Class spaceship with 42 Decks and 1012 passengers-1013, at this time.”  
June looked impressed. “I’ve been on many Ferengi Starships in my time, but never on one this big.”  
She suddenly looked shy. “Would it maybe be possible that I could… take a look at engines? They warp engines really fascinate me, but I only ever saw the ones they had on the Ferengi ships. I’d really like to see the engines the Ferengi always talked about…obtaining from Starfleet.”  
Troi smiled at her. “Of course. If you like, we can go there tomorrow and Commander Geordi LaForge will show you around.”  
“Thank you Counselor.”  
“Please, call me Deanna.”

 

“These are your quarters, they are right across from mine and right next to the ones of the First Officer Commander William Riker. Please, if you feel scared or confused, feel free to call on me or him. But rather on me, the Commander is often busy.”  
Deanna opened the door to her new home. June’s eyes went wide. “Wow. This is more space than I ever had in my entire life! Please, I cannot accept this. Surely you have more important guest to accommodate, I really only need a bed.”  
“All of our quarters have this size. Don’t worry about it.”  
June shook her head in disbelieve and walked over to the seating arrangement in one corner of her room. She let herself fall into a very comfortable looking armchair and Troi sat down opposite her.  
“If you want to talk to me, you can do so. You don’t need to hold back with me, either. I’d like to understand you.”  
June sighed. “Ok. I’ll talk to you.”


	4. IV

Chapter 4

Troi entered the conference room to find Captain Picard, Commander Riker, Doctor Crusher, Lieutenant Worf, Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge and Lt. Commander Data already sitting together. She sat down next to Riker and looked expectantly at the captain.

“Now, that we’re all here, I’d first like to give you a quick update about our mission plans before we proceed with our actual topic. Starfleet Command has issued an order for the USS Enterprise to return to the Sol system immediately. The diplomatic conflict that the little “revelation” of our guest has sparked requires at least three Senior Officers and the Captain of this Ship to attend a hearing and a tactical conference in the Martian Colony 3. We are due to arrive there in about four weeks. Will, Data, Worf, I’d like you three to attend that conference with me, and our guest may have to be present as well. Any questions?”

The room stayed silent.

“Alright then, Deanna, please state what you have learned.”

“June was very reluctant a first to tell me anything, I sensed that she felt very guilty about something. When I asked her about it, she told me that she never tried to escape the Ferengis, even when she had the chance to. After she had lost everything when her Colony got attacked, the Ferengis were her new home, however the conditions were,” Troi told Picard. “She was only twelve, when her home got attacked by a malicious race called the Rah-Shavac. Apparently they sold slaves all over the galaxy, and June and several others were sold to the Ferengis. I checked the Computer for details - only 20 people were able to be rescued from Omega-778, the rest was either abducted or killed. I have found no records of her family being rescued or found dead. They’ve officially been reported missing, just like June was. All attempts to find the missing colonists have failed so far. June Al’Coranna is the only recorded colonists to be found alive since the ten people were rescued from the planet. 507 people were reported missing, 987 were found dead.”

Geordi and Worf exchanged looks.

“The first four years of her enslavement she worked at a compound on a Ferengi Star Base that transformed radioactive waste and raw pieces of various base metals into new energy sources and rudimentary weapons that the Ferengi sold to several warlords on the nearby planets. The work was hard, but according to June they had enough food and clothing. When she was 16 she got transferred to the emergency repair team composed of “Disposables”, such as slaves and rudimentary artificial life forms. They were used to repair damages on starships and star bases that were considered “too dangerous” for a Ferengi life. Warp core breaches, matter-antimatter containment field- and life-support failures, that sort of thing.”

Picard looked gravely at his senior officers. “The Ferengis are using slaves to do their dangerous and life threatening work for them. This is not only looking grave for any possible alliances in the future, I’m actually afraid that there might be diplomatic implications of a magnitude that we can’t in any way foresee yet. I’m sorry Counselor, please continue.”

“When she was nineteen, Lore came aboard a Star Base where she was working on and offered to buy her for an enormous amount of Gold and valuable artifacts. Of course the Ferengi sold her to him, it’s the way they do business. She has also told me about her time with Lore, but she has asked me not to reveal any details of her time with him. Only so much: it’s way worse than I imagined.”

The following silence in the room was long and only broken the chime of the door. Wesley Crusher appeared with an apologetic look on his face. 

“I am sorry to interrupt, but the report you requested immediate access to is now in, Commander LaForge.”

“Thank you Wesley, I’ll be right there,” Geordi replied. 

As Wesley left the room again, Troi began to speak again.

“Furthermore, June has asked me if it could be possible for her to go to school on this ship again. After all, her education was interrupted in 7th grade.”

“Yes, of course, I think that we will find an arrangement as long as she is on this ship.”

 

Two hours later when Data finished his shift on the bridge and was making his way his quarters, Deanna Troi caught up with him. 

“Data. May I talk to you for a minute?”

“Of course Counselor. Captain Picard has already advised me to talk to you, but it seems like you “beat me to it”,” Data said as he entered his quarters. “Please, come in and sit down.”

“Thank you, Data.” Troi said and sat herself down in a chair opposite the one Data was lowering himself into.

“The Captain has told me about your conversation with him. And I too think, that you don’t have any responsibility for what Lore has done to June. Such cruelty and sadist behavior can only ever be the fault of its maker, no matter what influenced him before.”

Data stayed quiet.

“June’s reaction to you isn’t your fault either. Your face may be similar to Lore’s, but you yourself are not, and June will learn that too. It may take some time, but I’m sure she will.”

“As you have stated before, this is not a matter of fault, Counselor, but one of responsibility. I had the chance to disable Lore, and yet I failed to do so. Everything that Lore has done afterwards could have been prevented by my actions, but it was not. Therefore I am responsible for both his actions and the consequences of those actions.”

Deanna sighed. “You are convinced of that, aren’t you?”

The earnest look on Data’s face changed into one of bewilderment. “Yes Counselor. I am “convinced of that”.

After a minute of silence Deanna spoke again. “June feels sorry for how she reacted to you. She wants to apologize, but she is too scared to do so. Maybe it would be best if you would approach her and talk to her. Maybe that will be good for the both of you.”

“Why does she “feel sorry”? She has done nothing wrong.”

“Go talk to her, Data.”

 

June was standing underneath the shower and let the hot water pour over her body. With her eyes closed, she enjoyed the feeling of the first warm shower in years.   
Still, she was unable to believe it. How was it possible, that of all the places this ship cold have gone, it found its way not only into the same star system, but to the same planet she was being left on? And then found her on a huge planet? It seemed to be too good to actually be true. It had to be some kind of dream, or hallucination, maybe she was still on that planet, dying, alone. Or maybe this was a deception. Maybe this was another one of Lore’s sick mind games, where he wanted to see how much it took to break her. But for this moment, she didn’t care. The hot water engulfed her body and made her feel warm and save. A feeling she hadn’t had for a long time. The feeling of safety.

Her mind wandered back to second officer Commander Data. The man, the machine, who looked so much like Lore, so similar, and yet so different in behavior. June felt sorry about how she had reacted to him, and sincerely hoped that he wasn’t too offended. His similarity to Lore frightened her, and she still wasn’t sure if she really could trust him, or be around him, but she still felt sorry for the way he had looked at her, with so much guilt in his eyes. If he didn’t have any emotions like he said, he was faking them rather well.

After half an hour she turned off the water, dried herself with the softest towel she ever felt in her life and got back into olive tunic the Doctor had given her in the sickbay this morning. She considered going to bed, but decided against it. Even though she felt exhausted, there was no way she would be able to sleep in this big quarters this night, and at the thought of being in these rooms with the lights out, she could already feel the panic rising. If there was one thing she had always been terrified of, then it was the darkness. The worst things had happened to her in absolute darkness, and Lore knew exactly how to use her fear of it against her.

“Computer?” she asked, unsure. “Is there a place I can go where many people are, like a bar, or a common room or something?”

“Affirmative. There is a lounge in Ten Forward,” a disembodied female voice answered.

“How…how do I get there?”

“Head down the corridor to your left. Turn right and enter the turbo lift at the end of the corridor and go to Deck 10. On Deck 10, turn right and enter thourgh the double doors.”

“Um…thank you.”

 

Ten Forward was bigger than she expected it to be, and practically stuffed of people.  
Unsure of where to sit, she decided on a seat at the corner of the bar. 

“Can’t sleep?” the woman behind the counter asked. She wore a peculiar headdress, and her eyes looked very kind, and very old, contrary to her young appearance. 

“Hi. My name is Guinan. Can I get you anything to drink or eat? A hot chocolate and a piece of cherry pie maybe?”

“Oh thank you, that would be lovely, actually.”

Guinan smiled kindly and within less then thirty seconds a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a warm slice of cherry pie stood before her.  
“Thank you so much. I totally forgot to eat over the day. My name is June. It is very nice to meet you.”

Guinan inclined her head slightly and watched curiously at which speed June ate the cherry pie. June felt her look at turned red. “I’m so sorry for my manners…It’s just, the last time I ate something this good was about eight years ago.”

“It’s alright, June. Would you like another? We have an endless supply of warm cherry pie.”

After three more slices, June finally felt full. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, and when she opened them again, Guinan was still standing in front of her, watching her curiously.  
For some reason, June decided that she could trust this women.

“There is a lot on your mind,” Guinan stated after a while.   
“You are confused, and scared. But it will get better. Trust me. Some things need time.”

June nodded.  
In that moment, Data entered Ten Forward. June froze and stared at him. As if he had felt her stare, he looked her in the eyes and slowly walked in her direction, as if to give her plenty of time to get up and run away.

“I know you are scared, June, but I think it would be best if you talk to him. He really is nothing like his brother. You’ll see,” Guinan said.


	5. V

Chapter 5

“Miss June. May I talk to you for a moment?” he asked her as he got to the bar.

June nodded and got up, and Data led the way to a table apart from the crowd.

“Please, sit down.”

June sat down, and Data took the place opposite her.

“Commander, I am truly sorry for the way I behaved towards you this morning. I hope that I did not offend you. It wasn’t my intention,” she said, quietly, not looking down.

“You did not offend me. I am incapable of being offended, since I do not experience human emotions.”

“I still apologize. I shouldn’t have behaved like that.”

Data looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. “You had every right to react the way you did. You had no way of knowing that you captor had a twin brother. The reaction you displayed was in every way to be expected.”

“I should have known you weren’t Lore the second you entered. There is something inherently different about you, sir. And yet…I have to admit, I am still scared of you. And I know I shouldn’t be, and I really apologize for that, I know I’m overreacting and that it’s all in my head…”

“Miss June, you are absolutely in the right to feel that way. I cannot even begin to imagine what my brother must have done to you. And I must take full responsibility for that. I have met my brother twice before, and even though I could have shut him down both times, I failed to do so. Through my inaction, I have brought you a great deal of pain and suffering. And I do apologize for that, even though I have no right to expect you to forgive me.”

June looked at him, perplexed. “Sir, you are in no way responsible for what Lore did. If anyone is responsible for Lore’s actions, it is me. Had I not been so clumsy, so stupid, so... careless to anger him, he would not have had reason to punish me all the time. Please, don’t burden yourself with this, you are not responsible for you brother.”  
Now it was Data’s turn to look perplexed. “I truly am sorry for what happened to you, Miss June. Please let me say this: Nothing you could have said or done can excuse my brother’s violent behavior. And nothing could excuse him from owning and abusing another being.”  
June looked into Data’s eyes. “You are so very different from him, sir. Your voice is soft. Your eyes are kind.”  
Data looked at her, curious.   
“If you wish, you can call me Data, Miss June. I hold no command functions over you, therefore there is no need for you to call me by anything other than my given name.”  
“Another thing that’s different. Lore never wanted to be called by name.”  
“What did he want to be called?”  
“I called him master, or sir. He got angry when I used his given name. He said he would not be disrespected like that. In a way, that dehumanized - or depersonized - both of us.”  
For a while, the two of them sat in silence.  
“Miss June...,” Data began, but June interrupted him.   
“Please, just June.”  
“June. I...do not want you to be scared of me. And I will do anything to convince you that I am not to be feared.”  
“I know you are not to be feared, Data. I just can’t help it at the moment, but I will try my best to overcome it, please, just give me time. To get used to you.”  
Data nodded. After another short silence, Data said: “Tomorrow at 1600 hours, three fellow crewmates and I will conduct a classical concert here in Ten Forward. Would you like to attend?”  
A bit shocked at first, June quickly recovered and smiled at him. “Yes, I’d like that very much, thank you.”  
Data nodded and rose. “I believe it is time for you to go to bed and rest. It is quite late.”  
“I know, Data. But I really cannot sleep. And I really don’t like lying awake in the darkness. Lots of terrible things come to life at night.”  
For a moment, Data said nothing, as if deciding whether or not June had meant that literally. “If you have trouble falling asleep, I would recommend asking Doctor Crusher for a sleep supplement.” He said, apparently coming to a conclusion.  
“I think I might do that. Thank you, Data. You really are a very kind man. Good night.”  
“Good night June.” And with those words, he turned and left Ten Forward.


	6. VI

Chapter 6

June couldn‘t sleep, even though she had followed Data’s recommendation to ask the Doctor for a sleep supplement. She lay in her bed, and even though it was the most comfortable bed she has laid in in ages, she did not dare to let herself fall into the dark clutches of sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, images of Lore appeared before her inner eye, and she knew that those images would only turn into vivid nightmares. But the darkness around her wasn’t comforting either. The shadows turned into shapes, shapes that looked way too similar, way too…humanoid.   
After four hours of sleep-deprived hallucinations she decided to get up and turn on the light. With a cup of hot tea from the replicator she sat herself down in one of the chairs and stared out the window. The stars were stretched out and distorted by the warp field around the ship, and she found herself fascinated by the endless void of darkness that stretched out between them. And with the empty cup still in her hand, she fell asleep, too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

Lore, looking at her across the room with a look that could only mean one thing: that she had done something terribly wrong.   
Lore, slowly walking towards her.  
Lore, standing directly in front of her, way too close, blocking her every way to escape.   
Lore’s hand at her throat. Lore’s cruel smile. Lore’s cold eyes.  
“Now, we both know that that was a big mistake of yours, isn’t that right?” His voice echoing through her mind.  
“A big mistake. One that should not be repeated again. I think that I will have to teach you another lesson. Maybe you’ll tiny human brain will understand then.”  
Lore, ripping off her clothes, Lore, leaving bruises all over her body, Lore, mercilessly pounding into her while cutting off her air supply, Lore, throwing her body across the room, coming after her, putting his foot on her throat, Lore, smiling down at her.  
All the while never even quickening his articficial breathing.

The door chimed, and June awoke with a start. Her heart was pounding hard into her chest, her hands were sweaty and she was shaking heavily. Disoriented, she got out of the chair and almost fell over the cup that must have fallen to the ground in the night.  
The door chimed again. “Yes?” June said, unsure if that would be sufficient for the doors to be opened.  
“It’s Deanna Troi. May I come in?” Apparently not.  
“Of course, come in,” she said, hastily combing through her hair with her fingers.  
The doors opened and Deanna Troi walked in. “I’m sorry, have I woken you up?”  
“Yes, actually, but I’m thankful that you did. My dream wasn’t a particularly nice one.”  
June turned around to pick up the cup from the ground and set it on the table. Deanna looked at her with a note of concern in her eyes, but didn’t comment.  
“I’m sorry counselor, would you mind if I quickly brushed my teeth? It won’t take long.”  
“No of course not, I’ll just wait here. We’ll go to the engine room whenever you are ready.”

 

After brushing her teeth and eating a bite Troi and June were on their way to the engine room.  
“Deck 36,” Troi said as they entered the turbo lift. She then turned to look at June.  
“If you want to talk about your dream, I’m here for you.”  
June nodded absentmindedly. “I’d actually rather not, at the moment, thank you,” she said after a while.  
In engineering they were greeted by Lt. Commander Geordi LaForge, who immediately pointed out that he’d rather be called by his first name.  
“It’s nice to meet you, Geordi.” June said with a shy smile. “Thank you so much for letting me look at the engines of your ship. I won’t touch anything, I swear.”   
Geordi laughed at that. “I didn’t have any worries regarding that.”  
After a quick tour of main engineering and the antimatter storage Geordi and June stood in front of the warp core.   
“It’s really beautiful,” June said quietly.  
Geordi nodded. “It is. No matter how often I see it, it never gets old.”  
For a minute the two of them stared at the blue humming warp core.  
“So, I heard that you yourself have a bit of experience with engines?”  
“Yeah, you could put it like that. I’m mainly good at repairing them. But I’ve never seen anything as advanced as this. It’s truly impressive.”  
He smiled at that. “If you like, you could come by next week when we’re going to run a level 1 diagnostic. That’s always pretty interesting, and if you like, you could ask Ensign Wesley Crusher if he needs assistance with the plasma intermix chamber backup checks. Also, it will be Lieutenant O’Hara’s 30th birthday, so afterwards there will be a big party in Ten Forward, with an open guest list, for anyone to attend on this ship. And since that includes you now – I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”  
“I really don’t want to be a bother to anyone…,” she began, but Geordi interrupted her.  
“You wouldn’t be a bother. Please, I invite you to come along with me.”  
“Thank you, Sir. - Geordi.” She smiled at him brightly.  
“Commander LaForge, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I do not believe it is standard procedure to let a – civilian – inside the engine room.” Said a voice behind them.  
“It’s quite alright Worf, I’ve spoken to the captain about this.”  
June couldn’t help but stare at the head of security. “Oh, I’m sorry, I...,” she started, but quickly collected herself. “I am terribly sorry if I have caused any inconvenience, I wasn’t aware that I’m not allowed here. I apologize.” She bowed her head slightly.  
“I’m sorry sir, I have never met a Klingon before in my life, please excuse my impolite manner. It’s a great honor to meet you. I hope I have not offended you.”  
“It is quite alright. My name is Lieutenant Worf. I did not know the captain was consulted about this, I apologize for interrupting. Please, carry on.” He nodded at Geordi and left.  
“I think he likes you,” Geordi stated.  
“Really?” June sounded skeptical.  
“Really. He has a different way of showing that.”

After a quick lunch with Geordi in Ten Forward June went back to her quarters. After taking a quick shower and she stood at the window, staring at the blurred stars and the blackness of the void. She thought of Lore, and of the possibility that he had found out where she was by now. Would he come after her? With every fiber of her being she hoped that he wouldn’t. Maybe he would find himself someone new. The thought made her sick. More people who would suffer, more lives that would be destroyed by Lore. But at the same time, she felt something she did not expect. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Sometimes, when she would lay in his bed with him after he had forced himself on her, he had genuinely seemed like he cared, like he wanted to feel her, so he himself would feel less alone, sharing tender kisses and soft caresses. Of course, those moments had never lasted long, and he had made it a habit to show her just how little he cared for her right afterwards, as if to make up for the small moment of weakness. There was nothing that made her hate him more than this display of emotions. It showed her that he was, in fact, capable of those feelings, but that he had chosen to ignore them in favor of cruelness and hatred.  
Her thoughts were interrupted when the door chimed.  
“Come in, please,” she said absentmindedly, and Data stepped it.   
He kept his distance to her by staying by the door. “June, I’ve come to pick you up to escort you to the concert. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”  
June kept a distance as well. “No Data, don’t worry, you weren’t. If you would hold on a minute, I’ll be ready instantly.”  
She quickly went to check herself in the mirror, finding that she didn’t look as awful as she felt. On returning to the main room of her quarters she noticed Data looking around curiously.  
“It’s not decorated in here, since I don’t, you know, own anything.”   
Data inclined his head slightly at her comment.  
“Shall we go?”

 

“I do hope that you had a pleasant day so far?” Data asked June as they made their way to Ten Forward.  
“Oh yes, I had, thank you. Commander LaForge showed me around main engineering and I got to take a look at the warp core and the antimatter storage. He also invited me to be around next week when main engineering runs a level 1 diagnostic.”  
Data nodded at that and looked thoughtful for a moment. “I will be there as well. Would that be acceptable for you? Or would you rather...not have me around?”  
“Data, I’m the one intruding into your work space. Not the other way around. The fact that your presence makes me uneasy has really nothing to do with you, but with me, and there is absolutely no reason you should plan your time around that. It’s stupid that I feel this way, and I need to work on it,” she said simply.  
June paused a moment, realized how what she had said must have sounded to him. “And I would really love to go to your concert. Like I said, I would like to get more comfortable around you, and what better way to achieve that than to watch you play an instrument. Music is something so immensely foreign to your brother, he once even called it “a colossal waste of time and an insult to his superior ears and mind”,” she added.  
He looked at her with a puzzled look on his face that actually seemed a bit concerned as well as... oddly warm. But no, she probably just imagined that.

 

In Ten Forward, Data led June to the table Geordi and Worf sat at.  
“Ah, June, I wondered if you would come. Please, have a seat,” Geordi said, smiling up at her. Worf nodded in her direction. “Miss June,” he greeted her.  
On the little stage, Data played a note on his violin, and the musicians started tuning their instruments to match his. Probably due to his superior hearing, June thought.  
In that moment, Commander Riker swung his leg over the fourth chair at the table.  
“May I?” he asked after sitting down.  
“Of course,” Geordi grinned at him.  
“I’m sorry, how rude of me. I’m Will Riker,” he said stretching his hand into June’s direction.  
“Nice to meet you, Sir. I’m June, as I am sure you are aware,” she said smiling, taking his hand.  
“Please, call me Will. There is really no need for this kind of formality in Ten Forward.”

 

As soon as the concert began, all conversation at their table ceased. The Quartet, consisting of a cello, a viola and two violins, played a beautiful piece that June didn’t recognize. Her last contact with classical music composed was more than eight years ago. June was captivated by the music, and after a few minutes she closed her eyes and a stream of colorful images flew past her inner eye. She couldn’t remember a piece of music ever making her feel emotions of this intensity before.   
After the concert, Data came to stand by their table. “I do hope that this concert was enjoyable to you,” he said to the four of them.  
“Very much so, Data. You really improved your playing, it’s much more… soulful now.”  
Data smiled at that. “Thank you Geordi. I am glad you enjoyed it.”  
He turned his head to June, who still sat stunned in her seat.  
“How did you find our performance?” he asked.  
“I…Data that was so beautiful. It has been a long time since I heard anything that comes even close to this. I completely forgot what music could make me feel. Thank you so much for inviting me.”  
Riker raised his eyebrows in approval and turned to Data, who smiled and inclined his head in June’s direction.  
“I am most pleased that this concert was to your liking,” he then turned to all, his attention staying on June. “May I sit with you?”   
“Of course!” Geordi said. “Sit down, Data.”  
He sat down opposite June, and while looking at his colleagues, he kept his main focus steadily on her.  
The latter tensed slightly as she could feel the brush of air under the table as he sat, but quickly relaxed after taking a few slow breaths. Data was sure that nobody had noticed.  
After a few minutes of polite small talk between Riker and June, Geordi fell in with a funny story about how he had once convinced his colleague Lieutenant Davis to wear a party hat for an entire shift while pretending not to, and how that resulted in Data being completely puzzled for the rest of the day.   
After two hours, June felt herself become slightly dizzy. She ignored it at first, but as the minutes got on it only got exponentially worse, and after a few more minutes she was sure that this was an upcoming migraine.   
With a deep sigh she excused herself form the table, and even though Geordi and Riker looked concerned, they let her go. She was barely able to reach the turbolift before she started seeing white and yellow lightning before her eyes, and first her vison grew fuzzy, then black at the edges. Slowly she slid down the wall of the lift, closing her eyes and pressing her hands against them, hoping her nausea would pass. Through her closed eyes and her ringing ears she didn’t see him enter, so when a hand touched hers, she flinched in shock and opened her eyes, unable to see who was standing in front of her at first. As her vison cleared somewhat, she could see the shape of Data standing over her, talking to her, all without her receiving anything. The next thing she knew was that she was being lifted up and carried out of the lift, but now her vision started to blur again, so she couldn’t for the hell of it see where they were going.  
When she opened her eyes, her head hurt like someone had tried to drive an axe through it, but both her hearing and her vision had returned, and luckily, her nausea had passed. She found herself lying on a bed in sickbay, with Beverly Crusher leaning over her and Data sitting next to her bed.  
“Are you feeling better now, June?” the Doctor asked after seeing that she was conscious. June nodded and immediately she regretted moving her head.  
“You are experiencing a strong migraine, as I am sure you are aware. With our medical knowledge nowadays we can still sadly only do so much, I can reduce the symptoms, but the headache is going to stay with you for at least five more hours.”  
June looked at her, stunned. Five more hours? She remembered her migraines lasting for several days, one time even an entire week, and all the while she had thought that there was no way to heal it or make it less painful. But of course there was, and now that she thought about it, she probably had known all along. But of course, no one had been there to provide the medical needs necessary, so she had just… accepted the fact that there was no apparent help or cure.  
“You can go now, but I’d strongly advise you to try and sleep. I know you are having difficulties sleeping, and I sadly cannot give you anything to help you sleep this time, because it counteracts with the other medicine I’ve given you, but please, at least try. Data will bring you to your quarters, if that’s ok with you.”

Still numbly, and with her head aching, June walked next to Data who kept a close eye on her on their way to the turbolift.   
“Really Data, I’m fine. Its ok, I’ve had this countless times before, and thanks to the Doctor, this is the mildest and shortest one I’ve ever had. I can do this, really, there is no need for you to come all the way to my quarters.”  
Data looked unconvinced. “I would like to ensure your save return to you quarters, and it is really no problem for me at all,” he said with his eyebrows raised.  
Upon arriving at her quarters, he waited until she lay safely tucked in bed before leaving.   
“Feel free to contact me anytime should you need anything,” he said. “Since I do not require sleep, you can reach me anytime.”  
“No Data, really, it’s ok, you’ve done enough already. I really don’t want to be a bother to you. I’ll be fine.”  
“I can assure you, it really is not “a bother” at all. If you need anything, call upon me. Have a good night,” he said, before turning to leave.  
“Wait, Data. I’d like to thank you again for the wonderful concert. It was so beautiful, and I am sorry I have ruined your evening.”  
“You a welcome, and I am glad that you enjoyed it, but you have in no way “ruined my evening”, be unconcerned. I actually…enjoy helping people. It is an essential part of my programming.”  
They looked at each other in silence for what felt like a small eternity, before June finally said “Good night, Data.”

“Goodnight, June.”


	7. VII

Chapter 7

After Data had left June’s quarters, he decided not to rejoin his group of friends in Ten Forward. Instead, he went back to his quarters and sat down behind his desk to complete some research he had started earlier in the day. But to his surprise, he found his thoughts returning to June over and over again, as if his neural net was experiencing a feedback loop. He came to the conclusion, that his endeavor to earn the trust and friendship of June was both the result of his responsibility of her situation and his curiosity in her behavior and development. He found that to be the most reasonable explanation, but still decided to talk to Geordi about it when he got the chance. That chance came rather quickly, 25 minutes and 43 seconds later to be exact, as the door chimed and his best friend entered.  
“Data, are you alright? And also, is June alright? She really didn’t look good when she left Ten Forward, and you stormed after her, so I thought that you might know.”  
Data nodded. “June experienced a migraine, and was barely conscious when I joined her in the turbolift. I brought her to sickbay, where the Doctor examined her and treated her to the best of her abilities, and then I brought her to bed.”  
Geordi raised his eyebrows. “Is that common? I mean… does she have those migraines…regularly?”  
“I believe so, yes. She did not say much regarding that topic,” Data said while Geordi leaned on his desk, looking at him with interest. “I do, however, want to talk to you about her.”  
“I actually wanted to talk about her with you as well. I noticed the way you kept throwing glances at her throughout the evening. It seemed like…your attention was barley converted from her. And then you ran after her. What is that about?” Geordi asked.  
“Upon finding out that June was held and enslaved by my brother Lore, I cannot help but see my responsibility for what happened to her. I find my thoughts constantly returning to her, and her discomfort around me, as if my neural net is caught in a feedback loop, and I am a bit concerned about that.”  
“So you feel responsible for her. Is that it?”  
“I also do not wish her to be afraid of me. I do not want her to think of me as she thinks of my brother,” he said.  
“Ah. Now we’re getting somewhere.”   
“What do you mean by that, Geordi?” Data asked, with a puzzled expression on his face.  
“You want her to view you as a friend, not a threat.”  
“I suppose you could put it like that, yes. And she is absolutely in the right to not want to talk to me or see me. It would be reasonable of her. And yet she is putting in an effort to be more comfortable around me. I do think that she is trying to… be my friend, in a way. It could also be her way of getting past her fear, and it compels me to carry on in my endeavor. “  
“That could very well be. I think a friendship would be good for the both of you. She does need a friend, and she needs to get past her fear, and I’m very positive that she will help you overcome that damn “What Lore did is my fault”-idea of yours.”  
“Geordi- what Lore did would not have happened had I acted the way I should have. It were my inactions that led to June being in the situation she is in, so what Lore did is, as you put it, my fault.”  
“There is a fault for sure, but it’s in your reasoning, Data.”

 

This night, all June managed was an hour of nightmare-induced half-sleep, and when her door chimed the next morning at 8am, she had already gotten up again, and sat again in the comfy chair.  
With her head still pounding, she went to the door to greet her early visitor. The door opened to reveal Data carrying a large cardboard box in his arms.  
“Good morning June. I hope I have not woken you up?”  
“No, you haven’t, don’t worry Data. I’m up for about four hours now, I couldn’t really sleep, so I decided to just get up. I hope the rest of your evening went well?” she said, keeping her distance to Data and his mysterious cardboard box.  
Data’s brow furrowed, as he put down his box on a nearby table. “Are you still experiencing a headache? Is that the reason you were unable to sleep?”  
June placed her hand on her forehead absentmindedly. “Yes, I still have a headache, it is better now than it was yesterday, though.”  
“Do you wish to go to sickbay? I could escort you there.”  
“No, Data, it’s fine, really. I’ve had this lots of times before, and this one is quite mild, it’ll be ok.” Data looked unconvinced.   
“What’s in the box?” she asked, changing the topic.   
It seemed to have worked, because Data’s face lit up with something like excitement.   
“Yesterday you remarked how empty you quarters are, since you didn’t own anything, so I brought you a few items that I believe will be of your taste.”   
He pulled out an oil painting of a violin lying on a velvet fabric of deep red color. It was rich and wonderfully detailed, and gave June a feeling of a sort of sentimental happiness.  
“Do you like it? I painted it myself.”  
“I love it, Data. It’s so beautiful. Data, what…”  
“It is a gift.”  
June looked at him, stunned. “I… thank you.”  
Data smiled his weird half-smile before continuing to take stuff out of the box. It contained another small painting of a landscape on what appeared to be the planet Vulcan, several books, which he carefully placed in an empty bookshelf in a corner of her quarters and an empty glass-vase, which he filled with water and then put on her coffee table. 

He then went over to the replicator, stated: “Eight lilies. White.” and put them into the vase.  
June watched him wide-eyed.   
“Where would you like me hang the paintings?” He turned his head to look at her, and to his surprise, he found June’s eyes to be watery.  
Quickly he put down the painting and went over to her. “I am sorry, I did not mean to cause you any disturbance.”  
June looked up to him. “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked, in a small voice.  
“I wish you to trust me. To not be afraid of me. To be my friend.” He led June over to the seating arrangement around the coffee table, on which the Lilies now found their place.  
“You did not answer part of my question earlier. I of course understand if you do not wish to answer it.”  
For a while, June said nothing. The she sighed.

“You are right, Data. The headache was not the reason I couldn’t sleep. It was the nightmares.”  
Data inclined his head. “What kind of nightmares?”   
“Well - Whenever I close my eyes, I see… images that I really do not wish to see ever again. So I rather stay awake. If that makes any sense.”  
“Are your nightmares about my brother?” he said, with a curious undertone.  
June nodded slowly.   
“The images of Lore do not let you sleep, and yet you choose to face that image by sitting here with me.”  
“Data, that’s not the same. When I see Lore I know it’s him. He looks different, in a way. The way he holds himself, the way he speaks to me, the look in his eyes. The aura he has. Always looking down. Giving me the feeling of being trapped just by being in the room. That’s quite different with you. You may resemble him, but everything else is different. The way you talk, so careful with your words, and the kindness of your eyes that seem to hold no cruelty whatsoever. I have never seen Lore look at me the way you look at me, with simple curiosity, without any possessiveness, anger or hatred.” She knead her hands in her lap.  
“Last night… there was a certain situation that always came to me when I closed my eyes. Lore once had a little boy kidnapped to get money from his father, and he left him in my room on the ship with me, and I helped him escape while Lore was away… but he caught the boy, the little Pheno, and then he made me watch as he… crushed his scull on the walls of my room. And he took his time. Almost half an hour until his little legs stopped moving. I’ll never forget the look in Phenos eyes when he saw that I couldn’t help him, that I had failed him. And during this… torture and execution, that’s what it was, Lore never stopped smiling, not once, and he kept his eyes fixed on me, as if to tell me that the only purpose of this little boy is to punish me, to show me what I did wrong. As if the boy wasn’t a human. And as if I was a naughty child to be punished. I just…I live it all again. Of course, it’s distorted in a way, but I still see it clearly when I close my eyes.”  
Data did not know what to respond. The kind of psychological damage Lore had caused in June seemed to run very deep. And had he not acted out of…a sense of loneliness and the wish to belong, as the counselor had described it, in letting Lore live, none of it would have happened.  
In that moment she winced and put her hand up to her temples.   
“Is everything alright? Shall I call the doctor?” Data asked with a look of concern on his face that seemed to be rather genuine.  
“No, no, it’s really fine, it’s ok. It’s already better.” Data didn’t seem to be convinced.  
“May I ask where the pain is located?”  
June put her hands up to her forehead and temples.  
“May I…?”  
June went stiff, but nodded.  
Data put his fingertips on her temples and applied soft pressure. He then started to move his fingertips in a circling motion along her temples and her forehead.   
June was still frozen, not daring to move at first, but after a minute she felt the pain growing fainter, and she relaxed and closed her eyes. They remained in this positon for a long time, Data sitting closely in front of June with his hands massaging her temples and forehead.  
“I am so very tired Data.” June whispered after a while.  
“Do you wish for me to leave?”  
“No, Data, I just want to sleep. I want to close my eyes and fall asleep. Without him. That’s all I want.”  
“Have you addressed the substance of your nightmares with Counselor Troi?” Data asked.  
She shook her head, her eyes still closed.  
“I would recommend that, even though I cannot guarantee you that she will be able to help you sleep better, she will certainly do her best to help you in your… recovery.”  
“I will think about it. I actually don’t like talking about it at all, I feel like this is ridiculous, it’s a ridiculous problem, how will she take me seriously? How could anyone really?”  
“I take you very seriously, as I am sure does Counsellor Troi as well. Please talk to her about it.”  
They again sat in silence for a while, June still with her eyes closed and Data’s hands still working swiftly.  
June felt her consciousness slipping away, but she tired her best to hold on to it and not to fall asleep. But no matter how hard she tried, she felt herself slipping away. Data noted that June fell asleep and carefully made her lean back in her chair. He then got up and got a blanket from June’s bedroom and draped it over her sleeping body, and gently stroked her hair. He found himself surprised by this action. Never had he felt the need to caress someone before, and he wasn’t sure what had come over him. Still confused, he quietly left Junes quarters to resume his duty.  
Two hours later, when June awoke from a nightmare panting and sweating, she tried to calm herself by walking in circles around her quarter. When she reached the bookshelf for the third time, she stopped to look at the books Data had brought her. ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare’, ‘A Vulcan Guide to Meditation’, ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ by J.R.R. Tolkien and ‘The Complete Sherlock Holmes’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle now graced the shelf. Smiling to herself, remembering her mom reading ‘The Hobbit’ to her when she was seven, and all three of “The Lord of the Rings” later when she was eleven. She picked up ‘The Hobbit’, sat down in a chair and started reading.


	8. VIII

Chapter 8

June spend the next week reading books and trailing behind Wesley Crusher, who showed her around the rest of the ship, introduced her to his friends and took her with him to his classes. Even though June didn’t understand much of what the teacher was saying, she tried her best to follow it and tried to read up on the stuff she didn’t knew. She was quite aware of how much she would have to read to be able to catch up in literature, geography, biology and political history, but physics, mathematics and history of applied technology and science came quite naturally to her, partly due to her life experiences and lessons she had on the Ferengi ship. Still, some of the material vastly differed from what she had learned previously, and it gave her quite a headache. Literally.  
On the second day of her first school week Data came to pick her up from her last lesson. He stood outside the door and waited for June who had stayed behind to talk to her teacher about her previous education. After twenty minutes, June came out the door and collided with Data, who stood right in front of the door. June winced at the sudden impact, and Data grabbed her arm to steady her.  
“Oh no, I’m sorry Data. I should’ve payed more attention.” She looked up at him and quickly took a step back, suddenly uncomfortable with his closeness.  
“It is quite alright June, I should not have stood right in the doorway. I apologize for startling you.”  
He took a step back himself. “Geordi has told me that you have quite a fascination for technology and since I am conducting a planet survey that will include many sensor modulations, I would like to ask you if you would care to assist me.”  
June blinked. “Yes... I would like that. A lot. Thank you so much for that opportunity.”  
Data nodded and smiled his weird half-smile before leading June to the turbo lift.  
In the turbo lift Data turned to June. “We would be doing the work in my quarters, since I have a big work space at my expense. I hope that is not a problem for you?”  
June shook her head, but suddenly she felt slightly uneasy. She had been alone with Data in her quarters before, of course, but being alone with him in his quarters was different for some reason. Pushing the anxiety to the back of her mind like she had done thousands of times in her life, she followed Data as he got off the lift.  
Data’s quarters were noting like she pictured it. Loads of pictures hung on the walls, beautiful sculptures and flowers graced the table tops and shelves, and instead of a bathroom or bedroom, he had a giant working station in a corner of the main room. She turned to find Data looking at her expectantly.  
“I like your quarters, Data. So much art, it’s really calming.” He smiled at her. “I see you don’t have a bed. I know androids don’t need sleep, but don’t you have a… dreaming program?”  
Data looked at her, confused. “I do not have any knowledge of a dreaming program.”  
“I’m asking because I know your brother has one. He didn’t know of it either until he discovered it when he touched a malfunctioning circuit and a rather strong electrical discharge hit him, momentarily rendering him unconscious. He was back only a ten seconds later, but he was so confused by this “dream experience” of his that he could not stop talking about it for ten straight minutes. He then later discovered how to initiate it himself. I have no idea how he did that though.”

“That is very interesting. Even though I do not have any knowledge about such a program existing within my positronic matrix, there are quite a few things I am unable to detect inside my brain. So it is entirely possible for such a program to exist without my knowledge of it. After all, Doctor Noonien Soong composed the positronic matrix with its programming of Lore and I in a, while not identical, but similar manner.”  
He seemed pensive. “Tomorrow I will start conducting tests. It would be quite fascinating to discover such a program. And maybe it will help me to understand humans better.”  
June smiled up to Data with a reassuring look. “I’m sure it will, Data.”  
Nodding and smiling his half-smile, he turned to sit behind the desk, motioning her to the empty seat beside him. June sat down and inspected the work station. It looked a lot different than the ones they used on a Ferengi ship, even though she recognized some of the equipment from a space station she once been on. On second thought, she was pretty sure that the equipment on that space station wasn’t obtained legally.  
After Data instructed her on how to use the sensors and the statistic and analysis software, they sat together working, mostly in silence. Just as June started working on the osmium frequency table, when Data stood and reached up to a console right above Junes head. The latter flinched at the sudden movement, a flash of panic crossing her face. Data immediately step away from her.  
“I apologize, I did not mean to frighten you.”  
June was already trying to play it down. “No, Data, I have to apologize, I really overreacted, I’m sorry. I get startled so easily. It really is ok, Data, please don’t apologize.” She tired her best to smile at Data, who didn’t look very convinced, sat back down on his chair.  
June was working on one of her final frequency tables and was about to start an analysis on the atmospheric disturbances in the sector 2345c, when Data remembered something else. “June, I just realized that you neither ate nor drank anything for the past three hours, I apologize for being such a thoughtless host. May I propose that we take a break?”  
“Oh. I totally forgot about that. I’m really not used to regular meals, or the availability of loads of food and drink to consume whenever I please. I must confess I tend to forget to eat and drink enough. Thanks for reminding me, Data.”  
They sat down in the sitting area of Data’s quarters, June eating a sandwich and sipping on a lemonade. Data ate nothing, of course, but the watched June eat the sandwich with much appetite and wondered what it had to be like to experience hunger, or even famine. He also contemplated the complexity of the human psyche, and in what way life experiences were able to alter the perception of an individual.  
June noticed Data’s stare and looked at him curiously. “Is everything alright Data?”  
“Yes. I was thinking about if you would have perceived me differently if you had never met my brother. Or if I did not look like him, or if my voice did not sound like his voice.”  
“I probably would have, yes.”  
“May I ask you a question?” Data asked.  
“Of course.”  
“Earlier, you flinched at my unexpected movement. Was that solely because I startled you or because you were expecting an attack?”  
June was taken aback at that question. “I really can’t say, Data,” she said after a while. “To be absolutely honest, I guess a part of me expected an attack, the same part that is unable to relax in any given situation, and is unable to trust anyone or anything. Of course I was also startled, and that’s probably what triggered my response. I really meant no disrespect.”  
June bit her tongue to stop the word “sir” from coming out of her mouth. She felt uncomfortable, and felt a sudden urge to jump up and run away. Realizing that this probably wasn’t the best of ideas, she stayed put and tried to calm herself, clenching her fists and slowly counting down from 3456 in her head to distract herself form the rising panic, a method she had used for years.  
Data noticed her sudden change in demeanor, and gave her a worried look.  
“I did not mean to make you uncomfortable with that question. I apologize. I would understand it if you would like to leave,” he said softly.  
She shook her head slowly. “No, no it’s totally fine. I need to learn to deal with those things” she said, a little out of breath, trying to contain the beginnings of the panic attack that was creeping up inside her.  
June looked at his kind eyes, his concerned expression and his passive position and tried her best to calm down. He is no threat, she told herself. Look at him. He doesn’t want you to be scared.  
After looking at his face for a while she felt better, he did look a lot different than his brother. No malice or cruelty behind these golden eyes of his. She wondered what he would dream of, should he be able to dream. “You should really search for that dream program of yours, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”  
He nodded. “Yes, I am sure it will prove to be an interesting part of my life, should it exist. And might bring me further in my quest to become more human, I imagine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't proof read this at all I'm sorry for any mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> Yo I obviously don't own Star Trek  
> I hope this is halfway decent. I'll try to convince my lazy ass to update regularly.  
> Cheers.


End file.
